Incomplete Melodies
by TheCookieMonster77
Summary: Broken melodies for lonely kids, all of them desperately searching for their homes. Even as they find each other, there's still that one missing piece. [[dragonslyer-centric one-shot series]]
1. Iron Strings

Title: Iron Strings

Summary: For all they laughed and mocked him for his music, the idiots never realized that the song was a duet and he was just missing his partner.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Levy briefly looked up from her book when Gajeel quietly entered library. She didn't think he really liked the library but he would never tell her why he bothered to come (surely there are several other quiet areas he could escape to). And despite her curiosity, she'd given up on figuring out the huge man a long time ago. Just so long as he didn't interrupt her reading for anything stupid, she didn't mind the company.

Levy gently hummed as she poured over the old text. She was so engrossed with her reading that she didn't notice her companion humming along with her at first. But, as his tune got more complicated, she stopped focusing on her reading and turned to look at the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Happily, he didn't notice her looking and kept staring off into space while humming. His humming was surprisingly soothing, sort of rough, but it worked with whatever song he was humming. Levy frowned as she tried to place what tune it was, but she didn't think she'd ever heard it before. Just as she opened her mouth to ask what it was, Gajeel suddenly reached over a pulled out his guitar (she's yet to figure out _where_ he keeps, she just knows he always manages to have it when he wants it). He didn't notice or acknowledge her as he started strumming a quick, jazzy melody that melded wonderfully with whatever he was humming.

Her mouth hit the floor. Levy knew she was gaping at him but, she just couldn't get her mouth to shut. She's heard him sing and play before but, never something like that. He had always played the same odd (and quite frankly, horrid) song whenever he performed for the guild. Heck, she was pretty sure he was infamous for it. But, no one would complain if he ever played something like _this_ for them.

Gajeel plucked a few more strings before stopping, a thoughtful look on his face as the last notes died. He then noticed Levy gaping at him and immediately flushed. "Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't mean to bother you."

Levy's eyes grew wider. "Bother me?" she asked incredulously. "Gajeel...that was beautiful!"

Gajeel wrinkled his nose. "Oi. Don't make it sound so...girly," he grumbled.

"It was amazing. I didn't know you could play like that."

Gajeel just shrugged and ignored Levy's invitation to elaborate. He just went back to plucking at his guitar strings, which eventually fell back into the same horrific tune he always played for the guild.

Levy frowned. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Gajeel asked sharply.

Levy's frown deepened. "Hide your talents. You're obviously amazing at playing the guitar but, you always play that same song and everyone makes fun of you for it."

Gajeel snorted. "I don't give a damn about what those idiots think."

"I know but, you're really good. So, why not play a different song?"

Gajeel scowled. "I'm not a performing bunny, shrimp."

"Don't call me that," Levy said absentmindedly, almost on reflex. Then she raised an eyebrow and gave him a shrew look. "If you're not a 'performing bunny,' then why do you always play that horrible song?"

"It's not horrible," he muttered.

Levy grimaced. "Yes, it is."

"No it's not," Gajeel hissed as he bared his teeth at her. "It's a duet, idiot. Of course it sounds bad when it's played alone!"

Levy puffed her cheeks out in a pout. "No need to be rude."

"Then don't insult Metalicana's song."

"Metalicana's?"

Gajeel scowled, seemingly annoyed at his slip. He glared at her inquisitive eyes but sighed, all of his annoyance seeming to disappear with it. "Yeah. Metalicana liked the sound of electric guitars - some nonsense about them sound metallic and soothing - and since he obviously couldn't play, he taught me."

Levy smiled at Gajeel's gentle expression as he talked about his foster father. It was rare to see him without a scowl, much less the relaxed and soft look he currently had. "That's really sweet."

His gentle expression disappeared in a flash and was replaced with a scowl. "Oi, stop making me sound all girly!"

Levy's smile only grew. "You know, I bet if you played some of your other songs the guild would be begging you to play every night."

He glared at her. "I told you, I'm not a performing bunny."

"But you always play the duet, why not some other songs?" Levy asked with a roll of her eyes.

Gajeel glared at her again before looking away and hissing under his breath. "I'm not playing it for the guild," he muttered, the lightest of pinks dusting his cheeks.

"Huh?"

Gajeel just stared at her. He seemed to be internally debating whether or not he was going to say anything. He finally looked away and started muttering. "All dragons have a...call, I guess. It's really more of a roar but, it's distinctive and unique to each type of dragon. It's what they use to find one another if one is lost or they might use it as a greeting." Gajeel took a deep breath and scratch the back of his head. "Even though dragon slayers are, well, dragon-like, our vocal cords can't produce that sort of call. Metalicana and I came up with the duet instead as a joke but, it stuck and I've used it ever since."

Levy stared at Gajeel with eyes as wide a saucers. He was blushing faintly because of it but, she couldn't stop. It was just something that was much deeper and more emotional than she ever thought Gajeel would do. "Do all dragon slayers have one?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Dunno if _all _of them do but, Natsu and Wendy both have one too."

Levy blinked, trying to think back to when either one of those two ever did something like Gajeel's song. "They do?"

"Yup," Gajeel said with a nod. "Wendy's is the whistle thing she does and Natsu's is that tapping sequence." Gajeel suddenly smirked and snorted. "Go figure the flame idiot's would involve banging on stuff."

Levy frowned as she tried to recall either of the other two dragon slayers tapping or whistling. "I never noticed it before," she admitted.

Gajeel shrugged. "I told ya, none of us are doing it for you."

"So," she drawled, squinting at him with an inquisitive look on her face. "If you're not playing the song for us, then why play it in front of the guild?"

Gajeel flushed and stuck out his lower lip. He looked away stubbornly, seemingly embarrassed.

Levy pouted, her cheeks puffing out in annoyance. "Please?"

Gajeel looked over at her and jerked his eyes back over to the wall, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'damn puppy eyes.' "Fairy Tail's not exactly a quiet guild, now is it?"

Levy frowned at the vague answer. Just as she was about to whine about him avoiding the question, it hit her. "You only play on stage when the sound is turned way up," she whispered, eyes wide.

Gajeel's blush darkened. "Best chance of Metalicana ever hearing it. And if he hears it, maybe he'll show up sooner."

Levy's face softened into a wide smile as she looked over at the gruff man. It was just so _sweet _of him.

Gajeel suddenly glared at her, any traces of his previous blush gone. "If you squeal or some other girly shit, I swear I will make you regret it."

Levy giggled at the empty threat. "No worries, your secret is safe with me."

Gajeel just muttered something about nosy shrimps and went back to plucking at his guitar. Levy grinned and turned back to her old text, humming along with Gajeel.

"Hey Gajeel," she said softly, not looking up her book.

He shifted next to her. "What?" he grumbled.

"When Metalicana gets back, could you play the duet for me?"

He twitched nervously next to her, and Levy had to suppress the urge to look up at the blush she was sure was stamped on his face. She pressed her lips together, avoiding the temptation to bother him until he agreed.

"Sure shrimp. Whatever."

Levy grinned and listened to him play that horrid tune, mentally filling in the gaps in the incomplete melody. But really, she knew her imagination would be nothing compared to the real thing. She hoped, for his sake, that Metalicana would hurry back to him.

* * *

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	2. Banging Pots

Title: Banging Pots

Summary: Call it childish but, banging pots was always special to Natsu.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. **

* * *

Lucy stared. And blinked. And stared some more.

If it were anywhere other than the guildhall, someone would call her out for staring at Levy like she had purple horns growing out of her head. But, as she was surrounded by her guild mates, Lucy was barely spared a second glance as she focused on Levy with an odd intensity.

It's not like Lucy _meant_ to stare at her best friend like a freak but, she just couldn't help it. After all, Gajeel was up on the stage playing whatever garbage he tries to pass off as music and Levy was listening and swaying to it as though it were good classical music. It was absurd!

Though Lucy knew that Levy had a not-so-secret crush on Gajeel (even if Levy insisted it was just a soft spot), Lucy couldn't believe that Levy would suddenly pretend to like Gajeel's music just to please him. Levy wouldn't lie to someone like that.

However, Lucy still could not figure out what the heck Levy was doing.

Lucy stared at Levy while Gajeel continued to play, nearly choking on her drink as Levy's smile grew and she eagerly applauded when Gajeel had finished his song. And Lucy didn't think Levy was applauding for the same reason as the rest of the guild (yes, Gajeel's music really was so irritating that they felt the need to applaud when it was done).

Levy spotted her and started walking over to join her. Lucy's curiosity grew when Levy paused by Gajeel, whispering something it his ear and patting his shoulder. Lucy's eyes bugged out when Gajeel didn't even reply with a sharp snort or sarcastic retort but, just nodded gruffly and gave her the barest of smiles.

Lucy waited for Levy to fully set down her drink before moving in on her. "Okay, spill it."

Levy's eyes widened and she blinked at Lucy innocently. "What?"

Lucy smacked the tabletop irritably and glared. "Don't play innocent! Something juicy happened between you and Gajeel and I want to know."

"Oh please," Levy said with nervous laugh, "You're so dramatic."

Lucy smirked. "But you didn't deny something happened between you and Gajeel. Come on, spill."

The faintest of blushes spread across Levy's cheeks and she shook her head. "You're reading too much into nothing. Nothing big happened."

"But something happened!" Lucy crowed. "You just admitted it. And please Levy, there's no way you would pretend that Gajeel can actually play good music unless you wanted him to notice you. Not that he wouldn't drop everything at a second's notice for you already."

Levy scowled at Lucy. "Don't insult his song."

Lucy blinked a bit before rolling her eyes. "Come on Levy, he sucks at playing. Why he bothers is beyond me."

"Don't insult his song!"

Lucy reeled back a bit at Levy's outburst, a slight flush of shame washing over her at Levy's protest. "Sorry. It's just...it's not exactly _good_ music and even if you like him, you can't actually think _that_."

Levy looked at Lucy, disappointment written across her face. She sighed. "I guess I can't really be mad at you when I said practically the same thing. But, Gajeel explained how it was a duet. His song won't sound good without a partner."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Then he shouldn't play by himself. Unless," Lucy trailed off, a devilish smirk pulling at her lips. "He offered _someone_ an opportunity to be his lovely _partner_ for a very _special_ song."

Levy rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous. Besides, I could never - and never would - take Metalicana's place."

Lucy blinked. "Metalicana?"

Levy nodded, absentmindedly swirling her drink. "Yeah. Apparently, dragons have these calls that help them locate and greet each other but, since Gajeel can't actually produce a roar, his song is his greeting call to Metalicana. Gajeel didn't fully explain it but, I think that the more intimate or familial a dragon is with another, the more intimate and personal their call is."

"So Gajeel's song is his greeting to his dad?" Lucy looked over at Gajeel with a soft smile on her face. "That's so sweet. Especially if he's willing to share it with the guild."

"Don't let him hear you say it," Levy warned, a teasing smile on her face. "He'll blush and threaten you. But yeah, it is sweet. He says he's only playing it because our speakers are loud and better to attract Metalicana but, I think it took a lot of trust in us for him to show it at all. I hope that he'll play the whole thing for us when he finds his dad. I've been trying to fill in the missing bits but, I don't really know where to start."

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Funny how he's the gruffest one of our dragon slayers and yet he's the only one with a sweet, personal greeting."

"He's not."

Lucy's head whipped around to face Levy. "What?"

Levy shrugged. "According to Gajeel, Natsu has some tapping thing he does and Wendy has this weird whistle thing."

Lucy frowned slightly. "I've never noticed."

"You might have. You probably just filed it away as some silly idiosyncrasy."

Lucy just hummed and turned back to the crowd, seeking out her teammate. Natsu didn't volunteer much about his time with Igneel so, she tended to jump at any chance for information. When she spotted - more like heard, really - Natsu starting a brawl, she figured it could wait for a more private setting. And then, as she ducked an errant mug, she started plotting.

* * *

It wasn't a brilliant plan.

Not that it needed to be. Lucy figured if it was like an idiosyncrasy, then Natsu's was probably something he would do when impatient. But, as Lucy looked over at her best friend sitting at her table, he was being surprisingly patient while she slowly packed a bag. Normally, this is something she would be exceedingly grateful for but, now was not the time for Natsu to suddenly discover patience. She was hoping his tick, as Levy put it, would reveal itself soon.

Sure enough, he started tapping away within a minute. It started out slow but, it soon picked up and all of his fingers were rapping her table, the harsh clicks echoing in her apartment.

"Natsu..." Lucy trailed off and bit her lip, worried Natsu wouldn't want to share something so personal. She felt a rush of gratitude towards Levy for the warning, otherwise she probably would have kicked Natsu to next week once she noticed the obnoxious habit.

"What is it Luce?"

Lucy looked up at Natsu's big, dark eyes and stumbled her answer for some reason. Her question suddenly felt much too personal, even though she was dying of curiosity. "Never mind."

Natsu frowned and stopped tapping. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

"It's stupid. Don't worry about it," Lucy said as she waved her hand.

"It's not stupid if it upsets you."

Lucy felt a rush of affection for the Fire Dragon Slayer. She clenched her fists and nervously opened her mouth, worried about how he would take her question. "That tapping you were just doing. I noticed you doing it lately and it's always the same rhythm. I was just wondering why."

Natsu blinked at her. "That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it?" Lucy shrieked. She had just asked him an extremely personal question and he didn't even _care_?

"I thought some guy was being a jerk or something. Really, if you wanted to know about my nervous tick, all you had to do was ask."

"I did ask!"

Natsu just shrugged. "I know, but then you were being all weird."

"I wasn't being weird!" Lucy protested. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Never mind. Will you tell me about the tapping?"

"Sure." Natsu started tapping out the rhythm again, somehow making it seem livelier by just paying attention to it. "This was something I would do to keep myself occupied when Igneel wasn't training me. He'd usually join in too, and he always made it sound better. It was also another way for Igneel to track me if he didn't want to use his nose or had a cold or something."

Lucy frowned. "Dragons have _that_ good of hearing?"

Natsu looked up at Lucy in confusion. "All dragons have good hearing. Why'd you say it like that?"

"Well, Igneel must have some amazing ears if he was able to track you by just your tapping."

Natsu frowned. "It wasn't tapping. Tapping's just the easier way to do it now that people actually care if I act 'civilized' or not."

"Oh?" Lucy asked as she cocked her head to the side. "How was it originally?"

Natsu looked around her kitchen. "Do you mind if I use some of your pots?"

Lucy pursued her lips, having an internal debate. On one hand, she was pretty sure she knew where this was going. Natsu acted like he was seven half the time and Lucy _really_ didn't want a noise complaint. On the other hand...she was curious about the seemingly insignificant tapping. She puffed her cheeks out before deciding that her natural curiosity triumphed potential complaints. "Go ahead."

Natsu gave her a boyish grin as he eagerly jumped up and started grabbing pots. "Igneel and I had pots, but neither of us really knew what to do with them," Natsu explained as he set up a precarious pile of various kitchen items. Lucy winced at the chaos but held her tongue at Natsu's obvious excitement. Natsu continued with his explanation, oblivious. "One day, I was bored, so I started chucking rocks at the pile of metal and liked the banging noises from it. It just kinda went from there."

Lucy regarded him with a fond smile. "Go figure."

Natsu just shrugged, a huge grin splitting his face. "You ready?" Lucy nodded eagerly.

Once Natsu started banging on the pots, it was all Lucy could do to stop herself from covering her ears and wailing. She knew she was going to get complaints but, in the face of Natsu's excitement, she just couldn't bring herself to stop him. Lucy could vaguely recognize his tapping sequence within all the clanging but, it felt like it was going to rattle her ears off. When Natsu stopped, she bit back her sigh of relief and just smiled, trying not to twitch from the ringing in her ears. "It's sweet and everything but, I was kind of hoping for something a bit more elaborate than just banging pots."

Natsu regarded her with an uncharacteristically solemn look. Lucy bit her lip, worried she had offended him. Natsu looked out her window, pursing his lips slightly. "Don't you get it Luce? So long as Igneel's gone, that's all I'm doing. Banging pots."

Lucy cocked her head to the side, studying Natsu's profile. He looked solemn and almost noble in the way he was staring out her window as though it held all the answers. Then, Natsu turned to her and smiled, the moment gone and normal Natsu back in his place. "So, are we going to go on that job or not?"

Lucy blinked, suddenly remembering that he was waiting for her to pack a bag for their trip. She hastily jumped up and threw another essential or two into her bag before yanking it over her shoulders. She grinned at Natsu before following him out of her apartment.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned and grinned as Happy flew up to him. He laughed when Happy tackled him, giving the blue cat a quick hug. "Let's go!" he shouted, eagerly walking out of Mongolia Town.

Lucy smiled and ran after them, grabbing Natsu's hand to slow him down as Happy flew on a little bit ahead. "Natsu."

He turned his head towards her, his grin still huge. "What's up?"

"I hope you find Igneel soon."

Natsu's smile faded slightly. "Same here. But, even if I don't find him for another year, I still know he's in here," he said, his fist gently tapping over his heart, "with me. Sometimes, I can even hear him roaring along with me in my head."

Lucy squeezed his hand comfortingly. "We'll find him soon. Who knows, maybe this next job will bring you a step closer to him."

Natsu laughed. "Exactly. So come on slowpoke, we're taking forever."

Lucy laughed as Natsu dragged her along. They were going to find Igneel soon. She could feel it.

* * *

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	3. Wind's Whistle

Title: Wind's Whistle

Summary: She was just doing what she had always been taught to do: whistle when lost. So why was everyone telling her to stop?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Carla is the first to notice. She keeps quiet for a bit, not wanting to upset the little human she cares for so much. But, eventually, she can't stand the irritating noise and her ears are twitching so violently she thinks she's going to pull a muscle soon.

"For heaven's sake!" she bursts, sharply turning on her heel to glare back at Wendy who was trailing behind her. She puts her hands on her hips and scowls. "If you're going to whistle, whistle a complete song!"

Wendy blushes and nervously taps her fingers together. "Ah, sorry Carla. It's the only one I know."

Carla's eye twitches violently and she summons all of her patience to deal with her small human. "Then go learn something else or don't whistle!"

Wendy ducks her head and hides behind her bangs. "Sorry."

Carla nods in satisfaction and is about to turn back front until she sees a small tear run down Wendy's cheek. Guilt instantly washes over her and she nearly smacks her forehead in annoyance. She's so going to regret this. "No Wendy, it's my fault. That tune's just been stuck in my head for a while and it's driving me mad. Do you think you could learn some others and change it up a bit?"

Wendy's head snaps up and she beams at Carla. "Of course Carla! Let's hurry back to the guild and I'll ask Master Roubaul right away." Wendy stoops a bit to pick up Carla and she starts running as soon as Carla's comfortable.

Carla sighs discreetly, relieved Wendy didn't notice her minor fib. She can't quite feel guilty for it though because soon she'll be rid of the blasted thing. Really, Wendy's not going to keep whistling _that_ once she learns actual songs.

But, even though Wendy learns new songs and never stops whistling, she keeps falling into that same odd, irregular whistle that grates on Carla's nerves to no end. But, Wendy always wears such a happy smile when she does and Carla can't bring herself to stop the young girl, even if she's about to rip her ears off.

Oh, the things she does for her little human.

* * *

Master Roubaul is the next to notice (though it's not much of a stretch, seeing how he's the one teaching her songs). He agrees with Carla on how the piercing and choppy tune is irritating and makes him want to scratch his ears off but, Wendy's happy when she whistles that irritating noise so he can't tell her to stop. Heavens knows why she insists on it. But really, it's not like he understands what young people do nowadays.

And if he may bombard Wendy with different songs daily in hopes one of them will catch, well, she doesn't notice so he sees no reason to stop. Even though she never drops the odd tune, she does stop whistling it as often as she first did so Master Roubaul will just count that as success.

* * *

Erza notices it on the way back to Fairy Tail but, doesn't comment at first. She plays Wendy's quirky whistle over in her head a few times and decides she likes the odd, choppy and yet catchy tune. She walks slightly faster and gently taps the nervous girl's shoulder.

"Hey Wendy," she says with a hopefully reassuring smile. "I like that song. What's it called?"

The diminutive bluenette furtively glances up at her and quickly looks back at her feet. She starts to twirl her fingers a bit. "Um, what song Ms. Erza?"

Erza bites her lip, unsure of how to ease Wendy's nerves. She forgets to answer the question until Wendy hesitantly peeks up from under her bangs. Erza gives her a sheepish smile and says, "That odd song you were just whistling. It's weird and not really something I normally like but, it's pretty catchy."

She doesn't know what to make of Wendy's confused look and slightly watery eyes. She doesn't know why Wendy peeks up at the sky before ducking her head and walking a little faster, just so that she's not walking alongside Erza. Erza hears Wendy sniffle (too quietly for anyone else to hear) and guilt flashes through her. She guesses the whistle must be a nervous tick that embarrasses Wendy because Wendy makes sure not whistle at all on the ride back to Fairy Tail and only cheers up after she gets her guild stamp. The guilt flashes through Erza once more so she grabs a strawberry cake for her and Wendy to split as an apology.

Unfortunately, she completely forgets about it when Elfman knocks the cake from her arms and runs away from his punishment.

* * *

Gajeel is the first to recognize it for what it really is. He's the first to notice the half-hearted glances up at the sky and the slightly lost look on her face when she whistles. The song's irritating, but he knows her whistle is important to her the same way his guitar song is to him.

He's also the first to tell her to whistle louder and harder because he knows how much it hurts to hope for the parent to return when everyone tells them to stop.

* * *

Natsu's next. He only catches bits and pieces of it during the train ride in between bouts of nausea but, once he gets off the train and his wits back around him (having been nicely placed on a bench to recover under Wendy's attentions), he taps her on the shoulder while the others are off getting hotel rooms.

Wendy looks nervous, twiddling her figures and biting her lip. Natsu grins. "I bet it sounds even better when Grandeeney's singing along."

Wendy's lip wobbles and her eyes water slightly but, her smile is still a happy one and her fingers grip the bench as she leans toward him. "Not singing silly. Roaring."

Natsu gives an exaggerated roll of his eyes, his smile growing wider when she giggles. They don't say anything else, just her whistling her choppy tune into the rushing wind and him tapping his nonsensical sequence on the rusty bench. Just two lost kids waiting for their family to come collect them.

Neither songs are complete but, both sound a little less broken.

* * *

Happy's been sleeping over at Wendy's place more often. He knows Carla's finally warming up to him, no matter how she furiously denies it. He almost always hears Wendy's whistle as she bustles around the small apartment but, it doesn't bother him so he ignores it.

However, even if he doesn't mind it, he still backs Carla up when she tells Wendy to shut up. Okay, maybe she was nicer in her wording but, that's still the basic gist of it. Plus, Carla nodded at him approvingly (which rarely happens) so Happy pushes it to the back of his head and determinedly sets off to completely win Carla's heart.

But, when he hears quiet sniffles coming from Wendy in the night, he wonders if Carla's approval was really worth it.

* * *

Wendy's going to wake Carla soon but, she just can't stop crying. The nightmares are especially bad tonight and it's just like that horrible morning when she woke up panicked to find Grandeeney missing. Vanished. Kaput. Just gone, gone, _gone_.

Wendy stuffs her face into her pillow as she chokes on her sobs, squeezing the pillow as tightly as possible. She wishes there was someone to go to but, no one was there and she was so _alone_. Wendy fights back the sobs and tries to whistle, just like Grandeeney told her to do if she were ever lost or lonely. But, the whistle sounds more broken than ever when Grandeeney's part are never filled and hers keep getting cut off with sobs and it just _hurts_ so much.

She slowly calms down, the sobs fading into the normal aching _pit_ in her chest and she's finally able to whistle. It's a painful balm but, at least it's not the breath-stealing, mind-numbing, chest-compressing hopelessness she felt when she had woken up _abandoned_ or when the nightmares come to haunt her. At least the whistle makes her feel like Grandeeney will come soon.

"Wendy, it's the middle of the night! Do you _have_ to whistle that god-forsaken song?"

Wendy peeks up to see Carla standing on the edge of her bed and glaring down at her. For a moment, Wendy almost hates Carla because no matter how much she loves the brusque exceed she just wants some comfort right now and Carla's disdain isn't helping. Wendy feels her lower lip tremble and something bursts inside her, the dam breaking and everything hitting her at once. She wails and chokes and screams and sobs because even if she puts a brave face on during the day, it's night and Grandeeney has yet to come back and she's so _small_ and _alone_.

Carla's there, frantically murmuring apologies, wiping tears, and hugging tightly all while begging her not to feel sad. But, it's not something Wendy can control, even if holding Carla tight helps hold back some of the loneliness.

But, even if Carla tries to fix the broken bond and Wendy loves her for it, the bond doesn't _need_ fixing because it's not broken, just one half is missing. And Wendy cries for the loss because she wants _Mommy_ right now and no one's there to engulf her into their arms like Grandeeney did.

No. Wendy needs to be a big, strong girl for Fairy Tail, the wonderful family who took her in. But for now, she is a little orphan girl waiting, always waiting, for her mommy to come back and take her home. And since there's no one to be seen on the horizon, she'll have to dash her tears and be a big girl once more.

So she squeezes Carla tighter and starts to whistle.

* * *

AN: Well...that ended up darker than I thought it would be. Am I the only one who thinks the manga should go deeper into how the dragon slayers felt when their parents abandoned them?

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	4. The Song of Yin and Yang

Title: The Song of Yin and Yang

Summary: They both lost their other half but then they found each other. Is it really any wonder why they became family?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy tail.**

* * *

Not many people realized why Rogue and Sting are partners.

Many blink in confusion before shrugging their shoulders, suggesting that they get along because they are yin and yang, two parts of an eternal circle in which one cannot live without the other. An everlasting balance.

Of course, the first time Sting ever heard this (being kindly informed by a fan when he and Rogue were walking in the park), he fell to the ground, cackling madly.

People blinked bewilderedly as Rogue shrugged and sat down on a nearby bench to quietly wait for Sting to calm down. Both Dragonslayers ignored the bewildered crowd.

Sting finally rolled onto his back, his laughter fading into snorts and hiccups. He smirked up at his partner with a raised eyebrow and ignored the small crowd that had gathered. "This is why I love morons. I never get this kind of entertainment at the guild."

The crowd gasped in outrage and grew even angrier when the two mages ignored them (not that they would ever dare to attack two of Sabretooth's strongest). Rogue smiled and nodded, silently offering a hand to Sting to help him up. Sting threw an arm over his shoulder and they walked back to the guild, leaving stunned passerbys in their wake.

No one ever got an explanation.

* * *

A eleven year old Ryos cried as he huddled in the small alley. He made sure to stifle his sobs, despite the black and blue bruises running up his side and his possibly - and probably - broken wrist. He heard a couple of people nearing and he curled up tighter, seamlessly blending into the dark shadows.

Not for the first time, he wished Skiadrum were alive. His father wouldn't have let him get into this state and he wouldn't be shivering and cowering like a _rabbit_ right now. He heard the group turn the corner and froze, knowing he was good to escape inspection. He couldn't risk being found incase they were bullies. He's had enough of those, thank you. Ryos's ears twitched when their gruff voices came into range.

"Heh, did ya see the beat down Gajeel gave that brat earlier?" a scritchy voice asked, its tone laced with humor.

"What, that Ryos kid?" a second, much deeper voice asked. "It wasn't funny."

"Sure it was!" a nasal voice interjected. "Don't know what the brat's thinking. Psh, Gajeel is loner. He doesn't want to be bothered by anyone, especially not little shits like him."

The deep voiced man snarled. "Gajeel beat up a child. Even you two can't condemn that."

One of the other two snorted. "It was just some kid. It's irritating the way he hangs around the guild all the time. It's not like Phantom Lord will ever take him in. The beating will get the brat off our doorstep, there's nothing bad about that."

Ryos tensed slightly as the footsteps passed his hiding spot. He'd love to kick their asses but, Gajeel's beat down from earlier showed him how completely outclassed he still was. Even if they were mages, he might have been able to take them on one at a time. Maybe even two, if he was lucky and wasn't injured. But, it hurt to breathe and fighting them would be suicide.

Even if he's messed up, he's not that insane.

"You two disgust me," the deep voiced one said. "Though I wonder why the kid keeps trying to hang around Gajeel. Lord knows he's an asshole through and through."

Ryos rapidly blinked away some tears.

The other two hissed. "Don't _say_ that! You know Gajeel don't like insults…"

Ryos whimpered when their voices trailed off in the distance. He uncurled slightly, sucking in a breath as his ribs protested. Shit, he should probably see a doctor about that.

A traitorous tear ran down his cheek and he clenched his teeth. _Dammit Skiadrum_, he thought, _why'd you make me kill you? Why'd you have to die?_

Ryos opened his eyes to see his clenched fists and started at the red on them. He blinked again and though they were still brown from the dirt Gajeel rubbed him into, there wasn't a drop of blood to be found. Ryos squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his hands together, as though he could rub away the blood that was only there in his mind.

He hadn't wanted to kill his father. But he did, and now he can't stand the guilt.

He _knew_ that Skiadrum wanted to die. 'Better to die with dignity than to succumb to the disease,' he said. 'It'll make you stronger,' he said. 'I only want the best for you,' he said.

Ryos hissed at the familiar well of bitterness and hate pooling in his chest. He loved his dad, even if he's dead, but sometimes, he really hated the bastard for leaving him. He didn't care that it was the best option. He didn't care that it wasn't healthy for him to feel this way.

Because even if it was the best way for Skiadrum to go, it didn't stop Ryos from longing for those nights where the two of them curled up together under the starry skies. He dreamed of the loving ease and comfort Skiadrum provided rather than the mad scramble for survival here. He wanted to go back to when he would start the day singing and dancing with Skiadrum, greeting the morning sun and eagerly anticipate what the day would bring.

He wanted his innocence back.

A gleam of silver caught his eye and Ryos peeked out from under his bangs to see Gajeel on the far side of the street, standing in front of that scrap metal store. The man had moved so that Ryos could see his profile and so that he was out of passerbys' ways as he dug through a small pile of scrap labeled free, eating the odd nail or two while sorting. Ryos wanted to run over and ask what the man was doing but, the burn in his ribs suggested otherwise. That man would offer no comfort.

_I wonder why the kid keeps trying to hang around Gajeel. Lord knows he's an asshole through and through._

Ryos scratched the back of his head as the man's words echoed through his head. Ryos looked back at the wildly grinning Dragonslayer, eyes raking over the familiar features. Surely it wasn't _that_ hard to guess, was it?

Ryos was an orphan before Skiadrum. He didn't care when he had Skiadrum because that was all the family he needed, thank you very much. But now that Skiadrum's gone, well… Gajeel has the same looks that he does. Ryos has no idea how old the other dragon slayer is but, even if he's too young to be his father, a brother would be fine. Not to mention, Gajeel's an orphan too.

Is it really too much for him to hope for family?

Ryos looked at Gajeel longingly. He wanted a family again so damn badly. Then maybe the dark pit in his chest would go away. Maybe he wouldn't wake up screaming and choking and clawing his chest as the guilt ate away at him during the night. Maybe he'd stop seeing Skiadrum's blood on his hands every time he hid in a shadow.

Maybe he'd get to sing again. Greet the morning with dance and song in person, rather than just remembering it while choking on tears and holding back screams. Because Ryos once saw Gajeel with a guitar and he just _knew_ Gajeel has it because of his dad.

"Oi, brat!"

Ryos jumped and nearly shrieked as his sore and beaten body screamed in pain. A shadow loomed over him and he shook as he looked up to meet Gajeel's hard red eyes. Ryos gulped.

Gajeel sneered as he leaned in closer. "Don'tcha know it's rude to stare?"

Ryos shivered.

"Hpmh." Gajeel stood and stared down at him. Gajeel smirked and kicked his shin.

Ryos is proud to say he didn't yelp. Instead, he bit his tongue and the sharp tang of blood filled his senses.

Gajeel laughed. "Nice to see ya got spirit. Now listen close, 'cause I ain't saying this again."

Gajeel leaned in close, so close the Ryos could smell his iron breath. Ryos shifted in panic, trying to get away from the monster.

Gajeel's normal sneer morphed into a solemn look. "Leave kid. You're stupid and annoying. One of these days, I'm going to forget you're just a brat and kill you."

Ryos gulped. He couldn't back down now. "B-but, we might be family!"

Gajeel blinked before laughing and straightening up. He kick Ryos's shin again. "You think looks make us a family?" Gajeel snorted and laughed mockingly. "Even if it did, you think I give a shit about family? I'm never gonna bother with that crap."

Gajeel turned to walk away but paused after the first step. "Look brat, just leave before I kill you. I don't want to get in trouble with the Master or the Council again. Oh, and take that stupid cat-toad-whatever thing that's been hanging around the guild with you too. I don't want to clean up the mess I'll make when I eventually kill it."

Ryos shrank back into the alley again, tears running down his face. All he had wanted was a family. Was that really too much to ask for?

He saw red on his hands again and scratched at the imaginary blood spots. _Guess that answers that question_, he thought bitterly.

Ryos eventually picked himself up and dragged himself to the doctor's. They fussed and asked way too many questions but, they healed him so he kept his mouth shut. And as he sat there, listening to the nurses fuss over him like mother hens, he tried to draw some familial comfort from the strangers. He was an attention starved little boy after all.

But, it was like drops compared to the ocean he used to have and the pit gaped wider.

The next morning, while he moped around town and painful reruns of what his mornings should be played in his head, he made a resolution. He was going to grow stronger and kick Gajeel's butt one day. The man didn't want a family but, maybe Gajeel would accept a strong rival. And if Ryos's trips to the hospital had shown him anything, it was that he'd take any form of family he could get.

Ryos reached Phantom Lord's doors, his feet following the familiar path in his distracted state. Ryos stared up at the looming doors and familiar mark above, the yearning in his chest still as strong as ever.

"Hello."

Ryos started and looked down at his feet, only to blink when he came face to face with a green cat. "Hello."

The cat smiled. "Hello. Why are you staring at those big doors?"

Ryos shrugged and turned back to stare at them. Those doors seemed like they held all of his hopes and dreams. The only start back to happiness. Something pulled at his foot and Ryos chuckled softly when he saw the cat starting to play with his shoelaces. He glanced at the doors one more time before nodding firmly and turning away.

No, if he was going to grow, it wasn't going to be here, whimpering in the shadows and longing for a family. It was time for a new start. So Ryos took Gajeel's advice and left.

He even took the cat with him.

* * *

Sting scowled as he rubbed his black eye. Stupid bullies and their stupid gangs. It's not like he couldn't beat them up but, bullies always had back-up and the goons, while stupid, could usually manage one good punch. And, of course, it just had to be a direct eye hit.

"Are you alright, Sting-kun?" Lector asked as he hopped alongside Sting, trying to jump and get a better look at Sting's eye.

Sting felt a rush of affection for the cat. Lector could never be Weisslogia - _Don't want him to end up dead too, now do we?_ \- but, it was nice to have a friend to hold off the loneliness. It was hard not to smile around the bright little chatterbox.

"Sting-kun!" Lector whined.

Sting laughed and waved the cat off. "I'm fine Lector. Just got a bit of dust in my eye."

Lector narrowed his eyes at Sting. It was obvious the cat saw through his white lie but, he dropped the subject. Lector was awesome like that.

"Those bullies were stupid! How dare they insult Sting-kun like that and call him a liar!"

Sting blinked at the sudden outburst. "Eh?"

Lector nodded passionately. "Those bullies were scum!"

Sting raised his eyebrow, amused. "I beat them up, didn't I?"

Lector waved his arms wildly. "But then they ran off to tell the police, even though they were the jerks! And then the police laughed at you and called you weak-"

"Well," Sting drawled, "I am only twelve."

Lector jumped up and down, waving his arms frantically. "That's not the point! They totally didn't acknowledge that you're the best and will be the strongest. Idiots!"

Sting couldn't help it; he laughed. He squatted down and patted Lector's head. He grinned at Lector's befuddled stare and said, "You're the best friend I could ask for. Don't ever change."

Lector grinned happily. Sting smiled one more time and started walking again, waving for Lector to follow. He only paid attention to Lector's chatter with half an ear, more interested in the countryside.

Just as the were passing by a small valley, something black flashed in the corner of his eye. Sting's head whipped around and he stared at the figure dancing in the small valley. He barely noticed Lector pausing and asking him what was up.

It was a boy, dancing and singing softly (even his Dragonslayer ears could barely make it out) but, there was a rhythm hidden in the dance. A rhythm so familiar that it was impossible and for the first time in years, Sting felt like his heart was being wrenched out of his chest again.

Sting felt Lector urgently tugging on his shorts and despite how bad he was going to feel for ignoring Lector, he just _couldn't_ focus on him. Not with the way his stomach dropped and churned or the way his heart was collapsing in on itself or how he could only see Weisslogia, bright and glorious, standing in front of him and ordering Sting to _kill_ him. Oh god, why was he falling apart now? It'd been _years_ since Sting felt the guilt eat away at his core and god, he was shattering in tens of thousands of pieces.

A sharp sting on his leg yanked Sting out of his panic attack. Sting snapped his head down to see Lector crying in worry. "Sting-kun, are you okay?"

"I-" Sting choked. He wasn't crying. Actually, his eyes were normal, no welling tears or anything. Instead, it was like he was hollow. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to form the words but, he just choked. He looked back at the other kid, gaping at how _familiar_ it all was. He vaguely registered waving off Lector's increasingly worried questions and started walking towards the boy.

He absentmindedly noted the small pink figure sitting on a rock nearby and automatically started dancing. He was a little rusty on a move or two but it wasn't the type of thing that could be _forgotten_. The dance was the sort of thing that evoked memories of him and Weisslogia training until he dropped from exhaustion. Those hot summer days where they played in a nearby lake and icy winter nights spent curled up around a fire. It hurt and ached but it was still comforting in a bitter way. The other guy didn't even notice him dancing with him until Sting started singing.

The kid came to an abrupt halt and stared at Sting blankly. "Wha-"

Sting stopped as well and flushed. "Sorry! it's just...well, the dance is something me and my dad did and I haven't done it in years and here you were, just doing the other half, and I couldn't stop myself and-"

"What?"

Sting's blush darkened. "I'm sorry!"

The other boy frantically shook his head. "That's not what I meant! But...how did you know the other part to Skiadrum's dance. Not that yours was completely right but it was still close and-" He took a deep breath. "I'm not doing this right."

Sting grinned weakly. "I didn't either." He offered his hand. "Name's Sting."

The dark haired boy took a deep breath. "Ryos. But you can call me Rogue."

Sting waited for the other boy to speak but now that the shock wore off, the guy didn't say a word. Sting blinked, a little thrown off but smiled, even if a tad forced. "Sorry for interrupting your dance."

Rogue shook his head. "It's fine. But…" Rogue frowned at him. "How did you know the other half?"

Sting scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's like the dance me and my dad used to to in the mornings." Sting frowned. "Actually, it's really similar."

Rogue nodded. "I thought so too." He hesitated but took a deep breath and asked, "Was your dad a dragon too?"

Sting blinked in shock before grinning. "Yeah! Not many people believe me, since he's not around anymore-"

_Because __**you**_ _killed him._

Sting snapped his mouth shut at the bitter thought. Right, still raw.

"You too?" Rogue murmured.

Sting met Rogue's eyes. It wasn't quite a thought but, there was _something._

_Don't ask. Not now._

Sting smiled shakily. "So, what was your dad's name again?"

"Skiadrum."

Sting blinked before grinning excitedly. "Hey, Weisslogia mentioned him a couple of times!"

Rogue started in shock. "Really?"

Sting nodded. "Yeah, he was Weisslogia's brother!" He paused and scratched his head. "Or was it battle brother…"

Rogue just blinked at him in surprise.

"Hey!" Sting paused when Rogue jumped.

_Hmm, he must not be used to my enthusiasm. Oh well, he'll get used to it._

Sting grinned, hoping it looked reassuring. "Since our dads were battle brothers or brothers or whatever, that means we're cousins!"

Rogue blinked. "We are?"

Sting nodded enthusiastically. "Well, I never quite got that whole cousin thing so we'll be even better than that! We'll be brothers, just like our dads!" Sting smiled again and turned to find Lector. "Did you hear that Lector? I'm gonna have a brother! Lector?"

"That's awesome, Sting-kun!" Lector jumped up and down on a rock excitedly.

"Fro thinks so too!"

Sting started, finally noticing the pink cat sitting next to Lector. Or really, a green cat in a full toad body suit. What's up with that?

Rogue cleared his throat, bringing Sting's attention back to him. "That's Frosch. They're my partner." Rogue stared at Sting, with just the faintest hint of amusement in his tone. "And brothers, huh?"

Sting flushed a little, aware that his excitement had gotten the better of him. Just as he opened his mouth to apologize, Rogue cut him off.

"I like the sound of that." Rogue smiled slightly and Sting grinned back. "Besides," Rogue continued, "we even have our greeting down. Ignoring something like that would be stupid."

Sting laughed and threw his arm around Rogue's shoulder. "We'll be a family!"

Rogue smiled and slipped out from under Sting's arm. He dropped into the beginning stance of that familiar dance and Sting mirrored him. The dance and song started naturally and Sting felt a spark of hope flicker in his chest.

It could never be Weisslogia, not when Weisslogia was dead. It hurt like nothing else and the thought of Weisslogia's death still made his stomach drop like a rock and his heart squeeze painfully. The dance wasn't quite right and the song didn't flow right, not when Rogue's were _just_ off enough but, all of it was more than enough for Sting's shattered heart. The song and dance raised old memories that stung like hell but, it wasn't the hurl-inducing, heart-shattering sensation he usually dealt with and ignored.

He had a family again and that's what mattered.

* * *

AN: In my head, Sting's song is similar to church hymns (Sting's holy light makes me think of a chapel) and Rogue's song is like a stream of children's lullabies (like what parents sing to kids to keep the nightmares away). I'm not including any lyrics because that will just mess with the flow of the story. The dance part comes from me always picturing the two of them 'dancing' while singing. It's like a warm-up exercise or something. Or those dances that look like beautifully choreographed fights/fighting partners that look like they're dancing. Does that even make sense?

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	5. A Hiss of a Lullaby

Title: A Hiss of a Lullaby

Summary: They may live in hell but at least they have their lullaby.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Erik looks at the boulder falling towards him, and he freezes in fear. He hears a girl screaming at him to move and he idly wonders why he should even bother. To live? He snorts, idly wondering why time seems to slow down. This hell, the Tower of Heaven, isn't worth living for.

The boulder is coming closer and closer and despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Erik's still frozen, unable to move even if he wanted to.

He feels something on his foot and something lets him snap his neck down so that he can see a small purple snake resting on his foot, ignorant of its upcoming doom. He's not sure why but, his body's finally responding and he scoops up the snake and jumps out of the boulder's way just in the nick of time.

Erik stumbles and falls, blinking incomprehensibly at his almost killer still crashing down the hill towards the ocean. He feels something wrapping around his wrist as one of the slave drivers whips him back to his feet.

He blinks down at the small reptile who was, for lack of better words, _nuzzling_ his arm. A smile creeps onto his face, the first he's had since coming to hell. His cheeks quickly start to hurt, the unused muscles protesting but, he ignores the pain and nuzzles the snake back.

His grin grows as the snake stays with him.

* * *

The snake never leaves and Erik makes sure she stays unharmed, safely wrapped around his arm. He doesn't want any harm to ever befall his first friend.

In return, she gives him the honor of naming her Cubellios.

* * *

Erik lays on his back, eyes blankly staring up at the small patch of sky peeking through a small hole in the ceiling. It's early morning, the sky still gray and slowly turning to pink, the signal for them to start working. And, not for the first time, he wishes he has wings so that he could fly out of this god-forsaken place.

He's heard tales about mages. So many of the older slaves speak of eventually being rescued by such people, and he dreams of the gates being stormed and being free once more, the whole world open to him and Cubellios to explore. It's a nice dream but, there's not much time in hell for dreaming.

Instead, he thinks about Dragonslayers. According to the older slaves, they're among the most powerful mages in existence, taught by the dragons themselves. They say the dragons become the mages' parents.

Erik wishes he was a Dragonslayer. Wishes he had a dragon for a parent. He bets that his jailors would never be able to take him away from a dragon and then he would never had come here.

He hears the jailors starting to round up the prisoners in the lower levels (Erik's _always _been able to hear them, even if that fussy girl insists that it's impossible) and knows that he won't have his peace much longer. He remembers a lullaby, a distant memory of love, warmth and smiling eyes, and starts to sing what he knows and hum the rest. But, his throat is all scritchy and scratchy from the lack of water, so it comes out sounding more like hissing than anything else.

It's not until the jailor comes and the hissing continues after he stops that Erik realizes Cubellios was singing along with him. Affection bubbles in his heart and Erik feels like he can fly. He croons and nuzzles Cubellios and the affection overflows when she continues to sing to him for the rest of the day. The hissing creeps out a couple of the other kids but, it makes Erik feel safe again, even if it's an illusion. The affection keeps flowing through him until he feels as though he can burst and Erik wishes that he could hear what Cubellios is trying to tell him.

It soon becomes his primary goal in life. He never thought something would take priority over freedom.

* * *

Erik's ears are sharper than ever but, he still can't hear Cubellios's voice. One morning, he strains his ears harder than ever and just when he thinks he can hear her voice, his concentration snaps and the disappointment seeps deep into his bones. Rather than hearing her, he hears of the man who will come to take a few of the strong slaves away.

Erik waits for the man long before the stranger ever opens his cell. He cuts the man off, already knowing what he'll ask. "Name's Cobra. Make me a Dragonslayer, and you got a deal."

The stranger smirks.

* * *

Cobra grumbles a bit as he walks into the meeting room for Oración Seis. The lacrima Brain had implanted hasn't registered with his body yet and it _itched_. He'd rather have the blinding pain Brain had warned him of over the blasted, _persistent_ itch. Tch.

Cubellios hisses her part of the lullaby in his ear soothingly. She's taken a liking to that mostly forgotten lullaby and even coaxes him into singing it with her from time to time. She licks his ear to distract him and starts singing slightly louder. The motion's just so soothing that he instantly relaxes and scratches the bottom of her chin in thanks.

"Bleh. Is that thing _still_ growing?"

Cobra hisses and turns to glare at Angel. She's wearing that stupid white dress again and has an ugly sneer stretched across her face. Bitch. Cubellios hisses with him and Cobra rubs her head. "She's not a _thing_."

Angel's eyes glint cruelly. "Have you seen the size of it? It's a disgusting _monster_."

Cobra snarls. "No she's not! She's beautiful!"

And it's true. Cubellios's scales are a gleaming dark purple and she's almost as long as he is tall. And Brain thinks she'll grow even _bigger_. Cobra even found some wings starting to protrude from her back recently. A thought races through his head and he sneers at Angel, whose eyes narrow. "My beauty," he coos, scratching a preening Cubellios's chin, "will soon be able to _fly_." He flicks his eyes back at Angel and nearly crows at her stricken look. "Aren't you jealous?"

Angel shrieks and attempts to slap him. Cobra dances out of the way, laughing. Please, he can always read people's movements before they even get close to hitting him; Angel doesn't have a chance in hell of ever taking her anger out on him. A tear runs down her cheek and she suddenly stops trying to hit him. She glares at him and her lower lip trembles before she runs to her seat at the long table on the other side of the room. He should feel guilty since she's about to sob but, he doesn't.

No one can bully Cubellios and get away with it. He'll never allow it.

Cobra hears Brain nearing the room and runs to his seat. Brain walks in with Midnight trailing a bit behind him while rubbing his eyes. Brain doesn't start the meeting right away so Cobra passes the time hissing the lullaby with Cubellios.

Brain clears his throat and they all turn to focus on him. "As I'm sure you have all noticed, I haven't quite been acting myself lately. This is because I have an alter ego that's quite cruel. To avoid unnecessary messes, I will use organic link magic to lock it away with you, my prized mages, as my keys."

Cobra preens a bit at the praise. He'll become the strongest of them all so that he and Cubellios will never be in hell ever again.

Brain smiles at them. "Think of your greatest wish in the world. It will become your prayer and my seal. Take a day to choose wisely. It won't work unless it's something you desire with your whole heart."

Brain walks out but Cobra doesn't need twenty-four hours. Hell, he doesn't even need thirty seconds.

_I want to hear my best friend singing._

* * *

Brain promises to help him hear Cubellios's voice. He doesn't understand why people wonder why he follows a mad man. Cubellios is always there for him, through deadly battles and frustrated rants. He will do _anything_ to return the favor.

So, Cobra cuts his losses when the bastard betrays him. He probably should've expected that hit but his ears are ringing from his fight with Natsu and it takes far too much focusing to hear more than a voice at one time. He reaches for Cubellios, trying to take in any injury she might have suffered through blurry eyes and slumps when the black finally overtakes him.

When Cobra wakes to see his best friend missing, he worries. He attempts to stand up to find her but, he collapses in blinding pain and the soldiers are there to take him away.

When Cobra forces the ringing in his ears to fade but still can't hear Cubellios's singing, he screams.

* * *

Years pass, and he doesn't care that he's in prison because his chest feels as though it's trying to explode and consume itself at the same time. It's a near blinding pain and Cobra can barely cope with it, only able to spare enough energy to go through the daily motions. He musters up enough will to escape prison with the rest of his guild, though he can only move because of the hope that he might find Cubellios out there. He hasn't heard her singing in years and he thinks that if he goes any longer without it, he might truly go insane. He sometimes thinks insanity would be a blessing, anything to escape this hellish, gaping pain.

But, life's cruel and continues to let him survive one more day.

* * *

Cobra's sitting against an old pillar, trying to relax in the pleasant afternoon. He hisses to himself, the pit in his chest refusing to close and the lullaby sounds so _wrong_. He can't sing like Cubellios can (not could, _never_ could, no matter what Angel says - Cubellios is alive, dammit). But, despite how snake-like he is, he still can't hiss as beautifully as she can. His shoulders' tense as he hears Angel rounding the corner.

"For angels' sake, you're not an animal, idiot."

Cobra's shoulders don't relax. "Get lost bitch."

Angel snorts as she slowly walks into his view. "I'm not the one acting like a monster."

Cobra hisses and glares at her. Just because Angel has never forgiven him doesn't mean she's allowed to take it out on Cubellios, even if she's not here. The pit in his chest deepens.

"For angels' sake!" Angel glares at him and marches up to slap him. He readies his magic only to pause when she suddenly switches tactics and leans down to yell at him. "Your pet ran away. Big deal. Get over the stupid thing-"

His vision goes black for a second and suddenly, he's holding Angel against the wall with a death grip around her throat. Cobra snarls, to angry to care that he's choking Angel. He should probably be worried he's blacking out in anger but, he's been unstable and teetering on the edge of insanity ever since he woke up to find Cubellios gone all those years ago. He tightens his grip on Angel's ridiculously pale neck and hopes it's purple with bruises. "Don't insult Cubellios."

She grips his hand and flails. An ugly sneer stretches across his face, mocking her helplessness. She raises her hand to slap him and he laughs at her pathetic attempt for freedom. He slams her wrist against the wall with an iron grip, moving in close. Her eyes widen and he takes a sadistic thrill in her fear. "Mention Cubellios one more time, and I will kill you."

He lets Angel fall and walks away, hissing the lullaby to himself. But, Cubellios is so much better at it than him and he can barely remember what it's supposed to be like when she's not there to comfort him. He grits his teeth and pounds his chest, right over the gaping pit that should be his heart. But, Cubellios isn't there to fill it and he's left with his own mockery of her hissing. It's all he can do not to collapse in pain.

He had promised Cubellios that he'd be the strongest of them all so that they'd never be in hell again. That he'd always protect her. It was the promise of a lifetime, one of his top priorities. The only thing that was more important was being able to hear her voice.

And now, she's not even there to hear his apology.

* * *

He doesn't particularly care that the Infinity Clock plan failed pitifully and they're going to lose to Fairy Tail again. It stings his pride like no other but, in the end, he's still alone and hasn't found Cubellios.

And now, there's this stupid girl pestering him. Doesn't the idiot know better than to help high-class criminals?

He pushes her away when he hears it. The slightest whisper of a hissing lullaby. He freezes for a moment before hearing it next to him. He whips around to face the civilian girl. "You!"

He lunges and pushes her to the ground (gently though - so, so genty). It doesn't make sense because Cubellios is strong and prideful and the creature below him is a frail and delicate thing but, he finally _looks_ at her.

And her heart sings.

* * *

_thecookiemonster77 . tumblr . com_


	6. Snapping Sparks

Title: Snapping Sparks

Summary: Snip, snap, why didn't he notice that?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Laxus sipped his drink as he leaned back against the bar. He looked over the daily hustle and bustle of Fairy Tail and let the familiar scene relax him. He heard a contented sigh to his left and flicked his eyes over to see Gramps sit down on the bar next to him. He greeted the old man with a grunt and glanced back at the rest of the guild.

Laxus's ears twitched slightly when his peace was interrupted by Gajeel's gruff voice. "Oi, Master Makarov. Heard you had a mission for me."

Laxus shifted slightly so that Gajeel had a bit more privacy with his grandfather. Not that he still couldn't hear everything they said.

"Just something I thought you'd like to do." Laxus saw Gramps wave Mirajane over to bring him a flyer. "I know you asked me to hold missions like this for you."

"Eh?" Laxus didn't bother turning to look as Gramps passed the paper over to Gajeel and Gajeel laughed. "Just the sort of thing I love. Thanks old man. Gotta go get the shrimp and her team."

Laxus smirked when Gramps grabbed the back of Gajeel's coat and yanked back. Gajeel gagged and stomped around. "What the hell?"

Gramps started pacing the bar counter. "There's something I'm forgetting to tell you."

Gajeel grumbled under his breath but stayed put. "What is it?"

Gramps hummed under his breath. "I don't remember."

Gajeel grumbled again but sat down in a bar stool. "Try to remember in the next five minutes or I'm leaving," he grouched.

"Brat!" Gramps barked. "Back in my day, people respected their elders."

"Back in your day, dragons still ruled the world," Gajeel muttered under his breath.

Gramps super-sized his fist and punched Gajeel out of his seat. "Shut up, brat!"

Laxus chuckled at Gajeel's misfortune but otherwise ignored the two men. He listened to the old man pace the counter, grumbling under his breath and felt something niggle in the back of his head. His eyebrows twitched as the niggle grew. Hmm, he wondered if he was forgetting something. He couldn't think of anything he might have forgotten but, the niggle wouldn't go away. In fact, it was growing the more and more he thought about it.

"Hey Master Makarov, what are you snapping?"

"Huh?" Laxus and Makarov said at the same time. Now that Laxus thinks about it, Gramps _was_ snapping earlier. Weird, he should've noticed it a minute ago.

Gramps wasn't snapping anymore and he frowned down at Gajeel. "It's just something I do to remember things."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid, I guessed that much. I was just wondering what song it was."

Makarov blinked at Gajeel. "What?"

"There was some sort of rhythm to the snapping and I was just wondering what it was." Gajeel suddenly grinned wickedly. "Now, I entirely understand if you can't remember if it's your nursery rhyme. That was centuries ago and-"

"Brat!" Gramps roared as he punched Gajeel across the room.

Laxus laughed and went back to his drink. The niggling in the back of his head wasn't going away and now he was almost sure he was forgetting something. He frowned as he stared into his empty mug. Something… it was something to do with...Mirajane? He frowned harder.

"Yo Laxus, your doing your snapping thing again."

Laxus gave Bixlow a cursory glance over and went back to frowning at his beer mug. "I don't have a snapping thing."

Bixlow snorted. "You're doing it right now."

"Huh?" Laxus snapped and started. He stared at his hand with a slight frown on his face. "Oh." Hmm, he didn't realize he was snapping. Must be new.

Bixlow laughed. "What's up with you? It's not like you to be so oblivious."

Laxus shrugged. "I'm forgetting something but, I don't know what."

"Did you forget to get Lisanna a gift? We're throwing her that surprise birthday party tonight after all."

Laxus snorted. "This is Fairy Tail. There's no 'surprise' part to the birthday party. And yes, I remembered her gift. Mirajane made me buy her one two weeks ago."

Bixlow laughed again. "Sounds like Mira. Oh, and don't let her hear you say it's not a surprise party. She's been working non stop to keep it a secret." Bixlow chuckled again. Really, Laxus doesn't know what it is with Bixlow hanging his tongue out of his mouth all the time. "Speaking of the devil…"

Laxus looked over his shoulder to see Mirajane walking up. He waved and turned around so that he could face her. "What's up?"

Mirajane just stared at him before smiling sweetly. He tensed when he felt the slight demonic aura coming off her. Did she overhear him talking about the party?

"Laxus," Mirajane said with a sugary voice, her smile never leaving her face. Laxus shivered slightly when the demonic aura grew visible. "Did you pick up some unsweetened cocoa powder from the baker's shop?"

He blinked. "What?"

Mirajane's smiled froze and she gritted her teeth. Laxus saw Bixlow running away out of the corner of his eye. Traitor.

"Laxus~" Mirajane said, her voice dripping with honey. "You know how I absolutely _must_ have that cocoa powder because it's the _most_ important ingredient for Lisanna's _favorite_ type of cake. And you _promised_ you would get me some." Mirajane glared at him. "Re-mem-ber."

Laxus flinched. Oh, so that's what he forgot.

The demonic aura spiked and Laxus dug his nails into his palm when he realized he said that outloud.

"Shit."

* * *

Laxus knew there was a party going on (celebrating Team Natsu completing a mission without demolishing a town or something). But, he was just about ready to bang his head on the bar. Now, could he go enjoy the festivities like a normal person? No. All because he was _absolutely sure_ he was forgetting something.

Seriously, what the hell was he forgetting? The fact that he was a little tipsy (not that it was noticeable, _please_) probably wasn't helping with the memory lapse.

"Laxus!"

Laxus winced slightly, digging a finger in his ear from Gramps's bellow. He turned to see the old man staggering towards him, holding a mug nearly the same size as him. "What?"

Gramps giggled, near wasted despite the early hour. "You shouldn't be worrying, there's a party going on!"

Laxus smirked and gestured to his wild guildmates, who were currently in the middle of demolishing the guild hall. "I never would have noticed."

Gramps chuckled and waved a finger at him. "You should be out dancing! Maybe even snitching a kiss or two from a pretty girl~"

Laxus snorted. "You sound like a teenage idiot."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're moping around like you're my age. Go be young for once!"

"Oi, I do not act like a geezer!" Laxus scowled, completely unaware that he was actually pouting and sending Lisanna and Mirajane off into hysterics a couple of feet away. "It's just, I'm forgetting something. Again."

"Oh?" Gramps raised an eyebrow at him.

Laxus pursued his lips and looked over the lively guild. "I'm trying to remember before I get in trouble. Especially if it involves Mira..." Laxus shuddered, thinking about Mirajane's blow up three weeks earlier. It's not like he _meant_ to forget the super special, ultra important cocoa powder. Honestly, a blow-up over something so trivial...

Gramps chuckled. "Eh, I try not to worry so much. I'm always forgetting something, it's not a big deal. It always works out anyways."

"You're old, you have an excuse." Laxus scratched the back of his head and hummed. "I just feel like it was something important."

Gramps waved his hand dismissively. "Something's always important. But, how you know it's truly important is if you remember it. If you don't remember, then you know it's irrelevant, see?" Gramps suddenly frowned and stood up, pacing the counter. "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm forgetting something important too."

Laxus rolled his eyes at Gramps's contradictory behavior and went back to pondering what mystical thought kept escaping him.

"Um, Laxus?"

Laxus blinked down at Wendy, who was fidgeting in front of him. She never did get over her nerves. "What's up?"

Wendy peeked up at him. "I was just wondering what song it was you and Master were snapping."

"Eh?" Laxus blinked down at Wendy. What the hell was she talking about?

Wendy waited for a minute while Laxus and Gramps exchanged a look and then proceeded to keep staring at her like she was nuts. Wendy fidgeted under their gaze, twiddled her thumbs as the silence stretched, and then looked ready to burst into tears as the silence became awkward. "Sorry!" she blurted, turning to run back to the partygoers.

Only she smacked into Gajeel, who had walked up behind her. He put a hand on her head, effectively preventing her from falling and keeping her there. Gajeel frowned at Laxus. "No, she's right. You guys are snapping parts of this song that I _know_ I've heard somewhere."

Laxus turned to Gramps. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"

Gramps shrugged and made a shooing motion at the three Dragonslayers. "No, but you're supposed to be enjoying the festivities. Go. Shoo."

Laxus rolled his eyes. He went back to trying to remember whatever was escaping him, idly noting Gajeel and Wendy waiting nearby for new drinks. Gramps was pacing again, the hypocrite.

Hmm, the thought had something to do with...a birthday? Who's was coming up again? Or was it a meeting?

A loud _bang_ interrupted Laxus's musing. He turned to glare at Gajeel, who was pounding his fist on the bar and grinning triumphantly at him and Gramps. "I figured it out!"

Laxus blinked. "...what?"

"That snapping thing you and Master Makarov do!" Gajeel slapped the bar again. "It's been driving me nuts for weeks."

Laxus snorted. "I don't have a snapping _thing_."

"Um, yes you do," Wendy said. Laxus looked at her, surprised, and she fidgeted, thumbs twirling. "You were just doing it."

For some reason, Laxus was feeling a distinctly betrayed.

Gramps waved Wendy's comment away. "Gajeel, what do you mean by 'you've figured it out'."

"The song you two were snapping."

"Huh?"

Laxus looked at Gramps's mirroring confusion. Good, he wasn't the only one baffled.

Gajeel snorted. "Did you really never notice? You two snap whenever you can't remember something and together, it makes a song."

Gramps's eyes went wide. "Really?"

Gajeel nodded. "It's a really, really bad version of that song that was played at the Fantasia parade. Not that that's your fault, it's not a song meant for snapping."

Laxus snorted. "That's ridiculous."

"Actually, I think it's really sweet."

Laxus jumped and turned to see Mirajane smiling at his elbow, with half the guild listening in on the conversation. "_Sweet_!" he demanded.

"Yup," Levy chirped, coming to stand by Mirajane. "It's like a special song, just for the bond between you and Master."

Laxus's lip curled at the ridiculous description, only to freeze at the sniff behind him. Oh shit.

"Laxus…"

Laxus tried to roll some of the tension out of his shoulders with no avail as he slowly turned around to face Gramps, whose face was all scrunched up and valiantly holding back tears. Laxus tried to take a step back, only Mirajane pushed him back towards Gramps and that stumble seemed to break the dam. Gramps opened his eyes, all big, watery and puppy-like, and he sniffed as a tear streaked down his cheek.

Laxus frantically waved his hands in front of him. "No, Gramps, it's not that big of a deal!"

Gramps _sobbed_ and latched onto his arm. "You care!"

Almost all of the guild members were surrounding them now, forming an excellent barrier to the door. Laxus fell back onto a bar stool, resigned to his fate. "Of course I care," he mumbled.

He gritted his teeth at the _aww_'s from the crowd and winced as Gramps sniffed loudly again. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not that big of a deal!"

Not that anyone listed to him. Many of the members were still staring at him with stars in their eyes and the rest of the guild was snickering at him. Laxus tipped his head back so that he could stare at the ceiling and hopefully avoid the temptation to slam his head on the table and never come up.

Gajeel snickered. "Nice to see you're just one big softie," he said, outright laughing when Laxus groaned.

There was no way his reputation was surviving after this.

* * *

AN: Hey, fluff with no angst! That never happens, even if the humor ends up slightly cracky. Just to clarify, Makarov knows Laxus cares but Laxus isn't exactly prone to outright demonstrations. Makarov totally blows it out of proportion and Laxus goes all drama queen over it. XD

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	7. Homecoming Choir

Title: Homecoming Choir

Summary: And at last, they were reunited for the briefest of notes.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

AN: Not edited but I've rewritten it god knows how many times, take it away from me. Shout out to Shidake who's a complete sweetheart and puts up with me whining about characters never doing what I want them to do.

* * *

Wendy stared, her eyes wide as she looked up at Grandeeney. She was barely able to believe that _Mommy_ was standing in front of her, glorious, beautiful, and proud. Wendy could feel her knees trembling but wasn't too worried about collapsing; the bubble of happiness growing in her chest could carry her up into the heavens.

Grandeeney looked down at her, wearing her pride like a coat. Grandeeney smiled, warming Wendy from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and soothing all aches and bruises. Wendy's cheeks started to ache from the grin pulling at her lips but, she didn't care.

Finally, Wendy was home.

Gajeel eyed Metalicana speculatively, still not quite over his shock from Metalicana's sudden appearance. Metalicana lowered his head and Gajeel narrowed his eyes in speculation, only to freeze when Metalicana's iron breath washed over him, erasing any doubt from Gajeel's mind.

_Pops always did have stinky breath_, Gajeel thought.

Metalicana growled. "You've got that vile look in your eye."

Gajeel bristled, his momentary relief washed out by Pops's teasing. _Tch, bastard. He always ruins the happiest occasions_.

Despite his best efforts, Gajeel couldn't stop the smile stretching across his face.

* * *

Sting stared up at Weisslogia in awe, disbelief freezing him in place. Rogue was shuddering next to him, though Sting could barely spare a thought towards him. Sting felt his lower lip tremble and he nearly stuttered. "I killed you…"

Weisslogia laughed. "We can alter memories."

Sting clenched his jaw, anger burning through his euphoria. Skiadrum was saying something about giving them the added strength from killing a dragon and Sting had to bite his tongue and clench his fists to hold back his rage. He started shaking, the desire to punch and possibly even kill his father again growing by the minute. He settled for glaring at the ground instead.

_You should be happy he's alive, you idiot_.

Weisslogia's warm breath washed over him and Sting peeked up from underneath his bangs. The old dragon smiled. "I just wanted what was best for you."

Sting gritted his teeth and though he wanted to look away, he couldn't. His lip trembled, though whether out of rage or relief he didn't know. Hot tears started to fall, no matter how hard he tried to choke them back.

* * *

Rogue trembled nervously. His dad, healthy and whole and wonderful-_the bastard_-was standing before him, making Rogue grateful he was frozen in shock. He didn't know what he would do otherwise. Probably scream and kick his father's nose. His lips twitched and Rogue almost laughed hysterically, the joy of learning that his father was alive bubbling up. But then his fingers started to itch and Rogue choked as the bitter rage churned in his stomach.

Skiadrum sighed and pushed his nose against Rogue's forehead. "I'm sorry for making you think you had killed me," he murmured, the low growl soothing Rogue's frayed nerves like it always did. Rogue pressed his lips together and bit his tongue to keep from yelling. "I didn't want you to think that I would ever abandon you willingly."

"And you thought me killing you was better?" he growled, the words barely distinguishable through his gritted teeth.

Skiadrum sighed, the cool breath ruffling Rogue's hair. "You were such a wee thing. I wanted the power up to help you survive in this world." Rogue didn't respond and Skiadrum huffed. He nuzzled the top of Rogue's head before ducking down to nudge Rogue's head up with his snout. "I'm sorry, my son. I really just wanted the best for you."

Rogue choked and ducked his head. Skiadrum nuzzled the top of his head again, whispering soothing words. Rogue just gritted his teeth harder and squeezed his eyes shut.

After all, he really didn't want to risk his father seeing the flickers of hate burning within him.

* * *

Natsu scrambled to where Igneel had fallen, furiously wiping away hot tears that threatened to blind him. Igneel _couldn't_ be dead, not after everything he had gone through to find him. Igneel _had_ to be safe and okay.

Natsu scrambled over a fallen boulder and saw Igneel laying in a crater, rubble strewn over half his body. White panic burned through him and for the first time, Natsu wished his nose wasn't so good because the coppery scent of blood burned in his nostrils. Natsu screamed and collapsed, the unforgiving ground scraping his knees.

_All I wanted was to be reunited with you._ Natsu clutched his head, the will to keep it up draining out of him. _It's not fair. IT'S NOT FAIR!_

"Natsu."

Natsu choked and managed to pull his head from his hands. Igneel smiled, giving him a weak comforting look through a half-lidded eye. Natsu trembled, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Don't cry Natsu," Igneel murmured, making Natsu choke again because _dammit_, Igneel never whispers. "It's fine Natsu, I wasn't going to live for much longer outside of your body anyways. Our reunion was always going to be short. At least this way, I got to protect you one last time."

Natsu clasped his hands over his ears, sobs wracking his body. Maybe if he couldn't hear this, he'd wake up from this nightmare. Igneel would be standing tall and proud, his booming voice echoing off mountains. Not collapsed and whispering because Igneel was strong, _dammit_!

"Heh." Igneel's whisper reached his unwilling ears and Natsu ground his teeth in an attempt to block it out. "Stubborn boy."

* * *

"We are already dead."

* * *

Wendy's eyes blew wider than saucers and a scream lodged in her throat. _No, no, NO!_

Mommy had finally come back, she couldn't leave again!

* * *

Gajeel smirked bitterly, pain pricking at the back of his eyes. He supposed it was a good thing Pops had already ruined their reunion, then that knowledge didn't sting as much.

He ignored the red hot pain stabbing his heart like a poker. He'd believe the lie eventually.

* * *

Sting's chin wobbled and his head snapped around towards Rogue, only to find Rogue mirroring his own expression. Guilt welled up in him and Sting frantically tried to take back every mean thought he had about his dad. _No, no, nonononono…_

_I just got you back._

* * *

Rogue looked into Sting's eyes and saw Sting's eyes mirroring his own grief. His heart clenched painfully and Rogue jerked his gaze away and ground his teeth. "Dammit," he hissed under his breath.

_Why'd you come back if you were only going to leave again?_

* * *

Natsu trembled, his fingers digging into the ground painfully. "You promised…"

Igneel wheezed and it took Natsu a moment a moment to realize that the ass was laughing at him. "My silly boy, don't you remember what I've always told you to do when you're sad?"

Natsu gritted his teeth. "Jerk. I only do it with you."

Igneel managed a real chuckle this time, even though it quickly died off. "You've always done it with me, you even said it to your starry friend. I will always be roaring with you within your heart."

Natsu snorted, his snot and tears mixing. "Stop soundin' all mushy and smart, it's weird."

Igneel's smile grew. "Cheeky brat. Come on, one last time out loud for your old man."

Natsu pressed his lips together. He almost refused, just out of spite. But then, he took a shaky breath, and started to tap. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't have any pots around. He could barely hear Igneel crooning along with him as it was.

The song was wrong, soft when it should have been loud and muffled when it should've been brassy but, for the first time in years, he didn't have to struggle to fill in the blanks. And his heart felt like it was being shredded by a cheese grater because it was so, so wrong but also the last time it would ever be close to complete again.

* * *

Gajeel sighed. Wendy was trembling, making the ache in his chest twice as painful. He took a deep breath to help shove down the burn in his chest and patted her head, trying to offer some token of comfort. "Come on kid, let's send these idiots off with a proper goodbye."

Metalicana snorted, shaking his head in seeming indifference. "Like you ever cared about 'proper'."

Gajeel couldn't help but shout in annoyance. He even pulled out his guitar and waved it at the metal head for emphasis. "Shut it, Pops! I learned requip magic just for this old thing. Be grateful, dammit!"

_Don't ruin this. Not when it'll be the last time I ever see you._

Metalicana just laughed and started to roar. Gajeel grinned through his trembling jaw to match and started singing, his fingers falling into the familiar rhythm with ease. The song tickled his ears like it was supposed to, and Gajeel nearly fumbled when his traitorous mind reminded him this was the last time it would ever sound right.

Luckily, his fingers stayed strong and his voice didn't tremble. He had been waiting years for this and he'd be damned if he fucked it up.

* * *

Wendy stared at Gajeel, wondering how he could sing when she couldn't stop herself from shaking. How could Gajeel be so strong when she felt like the world was crumbling? Not even his half grins directed at her could ground her like they normally did.

Grandeeney's shadow fell over her. "You remember my lessons, don't you?"

Wendy wanted to scream in frustration. Pound her feet, shake her fists, _anything_ other than accepting that she had gotten her mommy back just to say goodbye. Gajeel's song washed over her, the melody finally complete, and Wendy had the painful epiphany that his song wasn't a greeting anymore. He was saying goodbye.

Wendy tightened her hold on Carla and she tried to choke back her sobs. She didn't want to do this but, she didn't want to miss this last opportunity either. She swallowed the lump in her throat and started to whistle. It came out squeaky and whispery but, she was surprised it happened at all since she was about to choke.

"Ah, ah," Grandeeney crooned over her head.

Wendy looked up, trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall. She had to be strong for Mommy.

Grandeeney smiled, ducking her head low so that she could rub her nose against Wendy's. "Always whistle properly. Shoulders back and head held high. Just like a proper dragon."

Wendy tramped down the bitterness in her chest and coughed. She took a deep breath and started to whistle again. The notes rang clear and strong, and Wendy almost collapsed in relief despite the notes' hollow sound. Grandeeney crooned again and Wendy whistled harder, making sure it could be heard amongst Grandeeney's increasingly louder roars. Finally, her song was complete, even if it was the last time it would ever be heard like this.

The tears burned at her eyes and the lump in her throat grew but, she only faltered once to whisper, "Goodbye."

* * *

Sting wished he could _move_. His knees were locked and his back stiff and all he could do was stare as Weisslogia and Skiadrum began their dance in the clouds. He almost wanted to run to Weisslogia's shadow and dance with them. But, after he finally managed to take a step forward, pain shot through him and Sting trembled at the thought of a couple of scrapes holding him back from a final dance with Weisslogia.

Cool fingers intertwined with his own and Sting's head snapped around as Rogue stepped up next to him so that they were shoulder to shoulder. Rogue's head was down but Sting relaxed as Rogue pressed his shoulder against his and offered silent support. He blew out a shaky breath and rolled his shoulders as he looked up at his father and uncle again.

Maybe it was a good thing he thought he had killed Weisslogia. The pain had started to heal years ago thanks to Rogue but now he got one last chance to see his father. So, Sting pulled himself together, licked the dirt off his lips, and began to sing with his father.

* * *

Rogue couldn't even look up as Weisslogia and Skiadrum took off, only aware of their movements through their quickly fading shadows. Rogue choked as the self-hatred burned in his heart, furious that he couldn't be happy that he hadn't actually killed his father as the bitterness churned in his stomach. He would've collapsed if he hadn't had Sting to lean on, his weak knees only egging on his bitter rage.

Rogue looked at his fellow Dragonslayers, their expressions mirroring each other in broken hearts and flickering rage (they _will_ track down the bastard who dared to murder their parents and they _will_ kill him). While Natsu was nowhere to be found, Rogue was sure he was feeling the same way.

Sting began to sing and Rogue started. He snapped his head around but, Sting was staring at their parents, completely oblivious to Rogue gaping at him. A lump welled in Rogue's throat and he tried to clear it.

_If Sting could sing, surely I could do the same._

The words caught in Rogue's throat, his song a whisper of what it should be. He could feel the grief rolling off his fellow dragonslayers (he always was more sensitive to that kind of stuff than he liked to admit). Rogue was amazed by their tenacity, even as he watched Gajeel's grin fall into a blank expression and Wendy's shoulders slump as the dragons disappeared. All of their songs were falling apart as the dragons faded and his stomach churned with bile as his song continued to be a whisper.

_Why couldn't I accept that last opportunity like Sting did?_

Sting sniffed and Rogue looked over in surprise. Sting's cheeks were dry and though his eyes were a little red and shiny, his grin could fool anyone else into thinking he was fine. Rogue raised his eyebrow and Sting's mask flickered before hardening.

"Bastards," Sting said cheerfully, his voice cracking at the end.

Over Sting's shoulder, Rogue saw Wendy slump and Gajeel snort. Rogue knew they agreed with them.

(How dare their parents come back just to say goodbye.)

* * *

AN: This was supposed to be fluffy. Like, I legitimately tried to make this fluffy when I started writing it...over six months ago. Funny how plans change. Anyhow, just the epilogue to go now, I'll try not to take as long.

**Edit 7/17/16:** This fic was originally going to have another part focusing on Gajeel, Wendy, and Natsu (aka the hecka angsty epilogue). It might happen one day (I'm mildly attached to this fic still) but atm, this story is complete and not expecting another chapter. I'm not in a good enough head space to deal with anything FT rn and this story is complete without one anyways, so I don't think anyone will be too upset.

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